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Fortescue brings EV powertrain and battery production to Oxfordshire

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Fortescue is ‘significantly’ expanding its battery and electric powertrain and battery production operations in the UK via an additional facility in Oxfordshire that will create more than 120 jobs.

The expansion is part of Fortescue’s aim to grow its British presence through the recent integration of British manufacturers WAE (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering).

“With Fortescue’s investment, British engineering will be at the cutting edge of the green energy economy with WAE’s battery systems providing world leading technology to the entire global industrial sector,” said Fortescue Chairman Andrew Forrest. “It is heartening to have the UK’s Trade Secretary today at our factory in Oxfordshire to support this message of British technology excellence for both its people and its highly attractive working environment.”

Following entry-into-force of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Fortescue will open the new site this year in Banbury, significantly expanding its UK manufacturing capability, supplying advanced batteries and electric powertrains globally.

The new location will be focused on production of a wide range of zero-emission products for the off-road sector, including trucks and trains. It will form part of a new global business aimed at driving decarbonisation in all fields of economic activity, while building sovereign capabilities in emerging technology.

The factory will cover over 13,500m2 in total and employ over 120 highly skilled engineers, technicians, apprentices and graduates, with recruitment for the industrialisation programme starting now.

This announcement ensures Australia and the UK build sovereign capability in an area of central importance to future economic development and is another key win of the UK Government’s free trade agenda.

The integration follows Fortescue gearing up to meet growing global demand for the development, manufacture, and supply of advanced electrification technology solutions to the off-highway sector.

The first prototype build is targeted for July/August 2023 with the first mining haul truck module due for completion in August 2023.

IKEA commits £4.5m to EV fleet charging as part of Net Zero drive

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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IKEA UK has made a £4.5million investment in a nationwide electric charging infrastructure, which will provide charging points for electric delivery vehicles across the country to enable more emissions-free deliveries. The new infrastructure will source energy entirely through renewable sources.

The retailer aims to reach 100% zero emissions deliveries to customers by 2025. By summer 2023, IKEA plans to achieve 60% zero emission deliveries in the UK and Ireland, which it was demonstrates the significant steps being taken to accelerate moving towards the 2025 goal.

IKEA itself will install 196 chargers, of which 53 will be rapid, providing full charge on vehicles in under an hour. The chargers will be located at IKEA stores across the country, as well as the new Dartford customer distribution centre due to open in spring 2023, with the first ones fitted and operational in IKEA Cardiff.

IKEA says the move is fundamental to allow to continue expanding the electric vehicle fleets being used to deliver to customers’ homes, with the ambition to reach over 500 by 2025, with the charging points will be used by both IKEA and partner electric vehicles.

This infrastructure is being implemented in addition to the existing customer charging points in IKEA stores. Our customer charging points are available for customers to use during their visit to IKEA, the points were introduced to provide access to more sustainable travel for customers. With the introduction of a home delivery infrastructure, IKEA is building a complete offer for customers to have IKEA products arrive sustainably to their homes, no matter how they choose to shop.

Jakob Bertilsson, Country Customer Fulfilment Manager at IKEA UK & Ireland, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at IKEA, and we are always looking for ways to reduce our impact on the planet while supporting our customers to live more sustainable lives at home.

“Investing in this infrastructure of nationwide charging points is a fundamental step in our ambition to reach 100% zero emissions customer deliveries from all IKEA stores and distribution centres by 2025, as well as supporting our ambition to become a climate positive business by 2030.”

Natasha Fry, Head of Sales at Mer UK said: “IKEA is an iconic brand with a recognised commitment to sustainability. When they needed future-proof charge points for their zero-emission, last-mile fleet, they wanted to work with a partner who shares these ambitions.

“We look forward to supporting the IKEA team and, importantly, its customers in making sure last-mile deliveries are efficient and emission free.”

Battery thermal management needs highlighted by EV research

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Frost & Sullivan research has revealed battery capacity has increased by more than 50kWh across all plug-in hybrid/battery electric vehicles (PHEVs/BEVs), while 150+kW batteries now come with fast-charging capabilities.

These advances in battery technologies are creating a parallel need for a battery thermal management system (BTMS) to ensure higher mile range, longer life, and superior battery performance.

While passive thermal management, such as air-cooled systems, will be the key technology for HEVs, liquid cooling and active thermal management will be popular among PHEVs and BEVs.

“The use of liquid glycol through cooling tubes and plates between modules will not only help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) maintain battery efficiency but also allow their vehicles to achieve compliance with stringent battery standards,” said Arvind Noel Xavier Leo, Industry Analyst, Mobility. 

“In the future, OEMs will adopt active thermal management systems that centralise all thermal needs for battery, motor, power electronics, and cabin temperature.”

Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, ‘Global Analysis of Electric Battery Market and Battery Thermal Management System for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles, Forecast to 2025,’ provides in-depth analyses of BTMS and highlights the current and future products of manufacturers. The study covers the markets of Europe (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), China, South Korea, Japan, and North America (the United States).

“Prismatic cells are the most preferred cell structure due to their high energy density and compact packaging, and present significant opportunities for high-end passive BTMS due to their thermal instability,” noted Leo. “Most OEMs are outsourcing battery cells for EVs and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and assembling the module and pack in-house. LG Chem, Panasonic, Samsung SDI, and Sanyo will be the key cell suppliers for western OEMs, whereas BYD, CATL, and CALB will be the key battery manufacturers in China and will look to adopt western OEM technology.”

More information on the analysis can be found here: https://go.frost.com/EI_PR_KCekani_MDD0_ElectricVehicle_Mar19

EV Charging Management Platform Driivz secures $12m

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Driivz has secured $12 million investment from a funding round with participants including Inven Capital, Centrica and Ombu Group.

The three funds will join the board of directors of the company alongside Tsahi Merkur, the company’s founder and seed investor.

Inven says Israel-based Driivz was selected following a ‘comprehensive due diligence process for its leadership and innovative approach developing the best-in-class Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Management platform for EV service providers’.

The Driivz platform is already deployed by multiple energy companies, used by over 300,000 drivers, and supports more than 80 types of charging stations.

The partners say there is a rising need for a reliable, stable, and easy to use charging infrastructure. In addition, the mounting demand for electricity, the increased burden on the existing electricity grid, and the emphasis on the use of renewable energy, has led utility companies to rethink their production and storage assets as well as their control systems.

Finally, one of the most important factors to enable the expected growth in adoption of EVs is the availability of an effective, comprehensive, easy-to-use charging platform that is based on open standards. These factors, they say, make the Driivz management platform a ‘must-have solution’.

The Driivz EV Charging Management platform is an end-to-end, modular system, offering charging operations management, user & grid management, billing capabilities, home, public & workplace charging support, and driver enablement apps. It is fully compliant with OCPP 2.0 and ISO 15118: Vehicle to Grid (V2G) Communication Interface, for communication between EVs and the charging stations.

“The electric vehicle market is experiencing phenomenal growth, and there is no longer doubt that this technology will become mainstream within the next decade. This growth must be supported with an efficient EV charging infrastructure, which is effectively managed to facilitate the increase in energy demand. INVEN continually seeks investment opportunities in companies positioned to lead the energy revolution such as Driivz, which offers a comprehensive and innovative platform providing the most advanced energy management capabilities,” said Michal Mravec, Investment Manager, Inven Capital.

“We are excited to welcome INVEN as our newest investor, and believe we are now well positioned to continue to deliver on our promise of developing leading innovative solutions for the EV charging industry,” said Doron Frenkel, CEO of Driivz. “Driivz is committed to leading the energy revolution by empowering EV service providers and Utilities to use the electrification of transport as a balancing tool to enable more efficient power utilization.”

“It’s great to welcome another investor to the table as Driivz continues to grow its global position as a leader in EV charging management. Having already integrated their platform into our own intelligent EV charging offer, I have no doubt that Driivz will continue to play an important role in building the technology that will see e-mobility at the very heart of an energy future that is cleaner and more connected than ever,” said Charles Cameron, Chairman of Centrica Innovations.